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UNIVERZA V MARIBORU
FILOZOFSKA FAKULTETA
ODDELEK ZA ANGLISTIKO IN AMERIKANISTIKO
DIPLOMSKO DELO
STANKA RADOVIĆ
MARIBOR, 2013
UNIVERZA V MARIBORU
FILOZOFSKA FAKULTETA
ODDELEK ZA ANGLISTIKO IN AMERIKANISTIKO
Stanka Radović
PRIMERJALNA ANALIZA FILMA “IGRA SENC” IN KNJIGE
“BASKERVILLSKI PES”
Diplomsko delo
Mentor: red. prof. dr. Victor Kennedy
MARIBOR, 2013
UNIVERSITY OF MARIBOR
FACULTY OF ARTS
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND AMERICAN STUDIES
Stanka Radović
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF “A GAME OF SHADOWS”
WITH THE BOOK “THE HOUND OF THE
BASKERSVILLES”
Diplomsko delo
MENTOR: red. prof. dr. Victor Kennedy
MARIBOR, 2013
I would like to thank my mentor, dr. Victor Kennedy for his support, help and expert advice on my diploma.I would like to thank my parents for their support, for all the sacrifices in their lives and for believing in me and being there for me all the time.
POVZETEK
RADOVIĆ, S.: Primerjalna analiza filma in knjige: A game of Shadow in The Hound of the Baskervilles. Diplomsko delo, Univerza v Mariboru, Filozofska fakulteta, Oddelek za anglistiko in amerikanistiko, 2013.
V diplomski nalogi z naslovom Primerjalna analiza filma Igra senc in knjige Baskervillski pes je govora o deduktivnem načinu razmišljanja in o njegovem opazovanju, ki ga je v delih uporabljal Sherlock Holmes. Obravnavano je tudi vprašanje, zakaj je Sherlock Holmes še vedno tako priljubljen. Beseda teče tudi o življenju v viktorijanski Angliji.
Osrednja tema diplomskega dela je primerjava filma in knjige. Predstavljene so vse podobnosti in razlike obeh del.
Ključne besede: Sherlock Holmes, deduktivni način razmišljanja in opazovanja, viktorijanska Anglija
ABSTRACT
RADOVIĆ, S.: A Comparative analysis of “A Game of Shadow” with the book “The Hound of the Baskervilles”. Gradual thesis, University of Maribor, Faculty of Arts, Department of English and American studies, 2013.
In diploma, A Comparative analysis of “A Game of Shadow” with the book “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, I wrote about the deductive way of reasoning and observation of Sherlock Holmes. I also tried to answer the question, why is Sherlock Holmes still so popular today. Sherlock Holmes wrote at the time of Victorian England.
The main theme of diploma is the comparative analysis between the book and the movie. Presented are all differences and similarities between the movie and the book.
Key words: Sherlock Holmes, deductive way of reasoning and observation, Victorian England
INDEX1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………12. LONDON IN LATE 19TH, EARLY 20TH CENTURY…………………….......................23. SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE…………………………………………………..............54 .SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DOCTOR WATSON………………………………………65. SHERLOCK HOLMES REASONING, DEDUCTIVE VS. INDUCTIVE……………….136. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND FORENSIC SCIENCE……………………………………177. THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES………………………………………………..20
7.1 Inspiration for the story……………………………………………………….............217.2 Characters……………………………………………………………………………..217.3 Plot……………………………………………………………………………………237.4 Themes………………………………………………………………………..............247.5 Symbols……………………………………………………………………………….277.6 Setting………………………………………………………………………………...28
8. A GAME OF SHADOWS…………………………………………………………………29 8.1 Plot……………………………………………………………………………………30 8.2 Characters…………………………………………………………………………….32 8.3 Symbols………………………………………………………………………………339. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………3510.WORK CITED…………………………………………………………………………….38
1. INTRODUCTION
There are many famous great detectives like Jessica Fletcher or Perry Mason, private
investigators like Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poiroit, or police detectives like Columbo or
Inspector Clouseau (Pink Panther).
Sherlock Holmes is my favourite fictional detective. He is famous for many things; one of
them is his deductive way of reasoning and his observation. More about his deduction I will
write in the following pages. Also I will try to answer the question, why is Sherlock Holmes
still so popular today. Who he was and why is he immortal.
I will compare and analyse the Book and the Movie: The Hound of the Baskervilles and A
Game of the Shadows.
The movie is a modern version of Sherlock Holmes; I would say this is a Hollywood view of
late Victorian England presented in the modern age.
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2. LONDON IN THE LATE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURIES
The first thing to understand about the Victorian age in England is that it was enormously
long and that there were significant changes in almost every aspect of politics, law, economics
and society. Furthermore, the texture of daily life, the physical and technological surroundings
in which people lived, the patterns of their education and work and recreation and belief –
were utterly transformed. In 1837, when 18 – year old Victoria became queen, the majority of
England’s people lived in the countryside and relatively few of them ever travelled more than
10 miles from the place they were born. Goods and messages moved no faster than the horses
that carried them. Most food was cooked over on the open fireplace. Little more than half of
the population could read and write; children as young as five years of age worked long days
underground in coal mines or tending dangerous machinery in factories. Political and legal
power was entirely in the hands of small minority men who held property. Class was revealed
in manners, speech, clothing, education and values. The classes lived in separate areas and
observed different social customs, in everything from religion to courtship to the names and
hours of their meals. In addition, Victorians believed that each class had its own standards,
and people were expected to conform to the rules of their class. It was wrong, people thought,
to behave like someone from a class above – or below – your own. In the strictest legal sense,
England had only two classes’ aristocrats (who had inherited titles and land) and commoners
(everyone else). Nevertheless, most Victorians understood that their society was three – tired.
In broad terms, the working class (both men and women) did visible work. Their labor was
physical and often dirty; it showed in their clothes and their hands they were paid a daily or
weekly wage. Men of the middle classes did clean work that usually involved mental rather
than physical effort. They earned a monthly or yearly salary. The elite or upper class did not
work for money. They included the aristocracy and the landed gentry. Their income came
from inherited land or investments. (Mitchell, 2009)
Furthermore, I have found article about London in Victorian times and how was class at that
time important. Crime was rife in the slums of London; prostitution, drug abuse and murder
were commonplace. There was much poverty and ill health; poor people lived in cramped,
dirty and squalid conditions. Smog caused by the factories weighted heavily on the city,
creating a dark, dreary place. Inhabitants of London had more to fear from their city than an
unhealthy environment. Barely thirty year before Doyle’s birth, was London a criminals
paradise. Whole areas of the city were “owned” by criminal groups, and honest citizens
hardly dared to walk through certain neighbourhood at night, even armed. In Victorian
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England small towns were still structured on the feudal model that had prevailed for centuries.
In general, a large manner house, such as Baskervilles Hall, dominated its village.
(http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/history3.html, 16.6.2012)
The Victorian society placed a strong value on professional and well-rounded scientists that
were capable of making very rapid deductions to solve mysteries and to study and advance
new medical breakthroughs. The Victorian age was filled with new discoveries and new
notions and philosophies that changed England, Europe, and moreover, the world including:
Darwin’s highly debated Theory of Evolution, Fleming’s discovery of Penicillin, the
worldwide Industrial Revolution, and the invention of cars, telephones, and photography.
These, among others, are just a fraction of occurrences during the Victorian era that will have
forever changed the world. Holmes, in many ways, is also much like a scientist. He too uses
forensic approaches in solving his various mysteries, in addition to using scientific tools, such
as a convex lens. Holmes disentangles myths with his rather swift and hyper-logical
intuitions, like many other scientists of the time, Darwin included. Class was important aspect
of identity in Victorian London, if not the most important aspect. People seemed to define
themselves almost exclusively by occupation and status. Everything the Victorian did every
manner of dress or speech they affected was class-conscious.
(http://outoftheashes.xanga.com/757421060/sherlock-holmes-and-victorian-culture, 16.6.
2012)
The setting of the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles began in London moved to
Devonshire, Dartmoor and ended back in London. Devonshire is described in the novel, just
like the London in the article above, a dark place, full of mysteries and dangerous to live.
Probably this is how people saw Victorian England at that time. Victorian England was place,
where crime happened every day like prostitution, drug abuse and murder. Even Sherlock
Holmes was a drug addict. At that time police force was at their begging, even if they want to,
some of the crimes that were committed where impossible or hard to solve. One example for
is Jack the Ripper. People needed someone like Sherlock Holmes. He was probably for them
not just private investigator, but someone who could stop the crime from happening. He was
like hero; someone who could provide them a safer and better future. Science had much of
value too, people wanted to know all about the new discoveries that they could learn. Class
people belong to was important at that time, or wealth they had. In the novel, there is struggle
for wealth and for a place in the society. Position of the woman was in that time to be seen
and not heard, they were emotional rather that logical and weak. This presented the perfect
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victim for Victorian gentlemen to use. That was the reason, why are in Sherlock Holmes
stories or novels, women always a victim. This is the case in The Hound of the Baskervilles
too.
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3. SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22nd 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland and he died on
July 7th, 1930. He earned a medical degree from the University of Edinburgh. He ran
unsuccessfully for parliament in 1900 and again in 1906. He served as a doctor in the Boer
war. He married for a second time in 1907, Jean Leckie, and they had three children. He wrote
his first short story in 1879. His stories were written in the Victorian times and were based on
some events in his life. Conan Doyle started his career as a doctor. He opened a surgery but
was not very successful as he didn't have many patients. He needed money so he began to
write short stories. He invented Sherlock Holmes in 1888. Sherlock Holmes was based around
a friend Dr Joseph bell, who would deduce injuries just by looking at them. Dr. Joseph Bell
was an expert in medical diagnostics, is known for making brilliant diagnoses through
observation. Doyle used basic theories of medical diagnostics to create his characters uncanny
ability to reason in a deductive manner. The detective genre used in his stories was perfect for
the time as there was a great interest in puzzles and psychology. The growing interest in
literature made it a great time to start writing. He manage to include all the major features of a
good detective novel, including the brilliant criminal and even more brilliant detective, the
victim, a mystery, clues which the reader could pick up on.
The original Stories were:
1. “A Study in Scarlet”, 1887
2. “The Sign of Four”, 1890
3. “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, 1891 – 1892
4. “The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes”, 1892 – 1893
5. The Hound of the Baskervilles, 1901 – 1902
6. “The Return of Sherlock Holmes”, 1903 – 1904
7. “Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes”, 1908 -1913
8. “The Valley of Fear”, 1914 – 1915
9. “His Last Bow”, 1917
10. “The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes”, 1921 -1927
(http://www.prairieghosts.com/doyle.html, 17.6.2012)
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4. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DOCTOR WATSON
Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson lived in a fictional Victorian lodging house at 221b
Baker Street 1881 – 1904. At 221b Baker Street, is today the Sherlock Holmes’s museum.
6
Sherlock Holmes and Watson
Sherlock Holmes stories have been translated into more than fifty languages and made into
plays, films, radio and television series and so on. By 1920 Arthur Conan Doyle was one of
the most highly paid writers in the world. As we speak about Sherlock Holmes, often we
forget that Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character not the living one. Sherlock Holmes is
witty and clever. He is described as a tall and thin man, smoking a pipe, and there is some
evidence that say that he was a cocaine user. During this time period, cocaine was still used
for medicinal purposes and was completely legal. It was around this time when doctors began
to notice the negative effects the drug has on people. But cocaine didn’t become illegal until
the mid – 1900s. When he has no cases to solve, when there is 'nothing of interest' in the
newspapers, and when 'the monotony of existence' preys on him he reaches for the syringe.
He has no lovers, no friends and no real interests other than detective work. But there is more.
He lives only for the intellect and has no connection with his own emotions. In fact he seems
to have had a mild form of Attention Deficit Disorder - his mind '...like a racing engine
tearing itself to pieces because it is not connected up...', his energy moving from extremes of
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lethargy to extremes of hyperactivity.
(http://reversethinking.typepad.com/weblog/2008/02/why-is-sherlock.html, 19.6.2012)
Sherlock Holmes was an Anglo-American character, rather then the popular perception of him
as a strictly English character. We can say this because; two of his stories are set in USA,
Valley of Fear and A Study in Scarlet. I have noticed that there are not many woman
characters in his stories, if there are; most of them are not protagonists but a victim. This was
also typical for Victorian times. Another thing about Sherlock Holmes is that he is unsociable
character. He has no other friends besides Dr. Watson. He lives for his work. Also he is very
rational, doesn’t believe in superstitions, he needs real rational explanation. He is a scientist.
He is described as really capable detective, but as a cocaine user, the only thing that I would
say is the dark side of his character. He has many interest besides detective work, for
example, he is accomplished violinist and an expert on bee keeping.
“Might I ask you to hand me my violin, and we will postpone all further thought upon this
business until we have the advantage of meeting Dr. Mortimer and Sir Henry Baskerville in
the morning. “ (The Hound of the Baskervilles, Page 33)
Mythical catch Phrases that are used in Movies: “Elementary, my dear Watson”, cannot be
found in any of the books written by Conan Doyle. He uses word “elementary” but never with
“my dear Watson”.
“Interesting, thought elementary, said he, as he returned to his favourite corner of the settee.”
(The Hound of the Baskervilles, Page 8)
He uses “elementary” when he wants to say that is something simple and obvious.
8
Sherlock Holmes’s statue, London
9
Watson is described as a ‘middle – sized, strongly built man – square jaw, thick neck and a
moustache ‘. Watson served as an Army surgeon and practiced medicine in civilian life. He is
Sherlock Holmes side – kick and he has learned lots of things from him. One of them is his
deductive way of thinking. We see at the begging of the novel, where Holmes asks him to
deduce for him. Holmes would later say if he was right or wrong. Watson is not just
Sherlock Holmes friend; he is also the narrator of the stories. He tells the stories, and with this
he is connected to the readers.
Below are some pictures from Sherlock Holmes private museum in London.
10
Sherlock Holmes’s study desk.
11
Sherlock Holmes’s violin
12
5. SHERLOCK HOLMES REASONING, deductive vs. inductive
We all know Sherlock Holmes’s famous saying:
Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.
Doctors, Journalists, Lawyers, Detective all of them use deductive reasoning. In these
professions we tent to ask a lot of questions to try to solve problem or to prove something. In
solving his mysteries Holmes uses a combination of deduction and observation, and he uses
induction as well, but all great detectives are experts in deduction.
“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.” (The
Hound of the Baskervilles, page 31, Holmes to Watson, Holmes observations skills)
“Balance probabilities, and choose the most likely.” (The Hound of the Baskervilles, he also
uses a mixture of deduction and induction to reach a reasonable solution to a problem)
Example of deduction:
Murder is a terrible crime.
Abortion is murder.
Abortion is a terrible crime.
Of course, in any syllogism, all premises must be true (or considered true) if the argument is
to stand.
In this case, it is the minor premise that is most open to challenge. Is abortion indeed murder?
If the writer can convince his reader that it is, then the reader will accept his conclusion.
When one deduces, she or he moves from a general argument to a specific one. A crime might
be solved, for example, along these lines:
All watch dogs bark at strangers.
When x was murdered, the dogs did not bark.
X was not killed, by a stranger.
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/ac_paper/logic.shtml, 21.06.2012)
13
Just at the beginning of the novel The Hound of the Baskerville we have an example of
deduction, and that is the walking stick. Holmes asks Watson to say what he thinks about the
owner of the stick, who he is and what does he do, using deduction, basically, picking out
details on an object and making interference from it.
“But, tell me, Watson, what do you make of our visitors stick? Since we have been so
unfortunate as to miss him and have no notion of his errand, this accidental souvenir becomes
of importance. Let me hear you reconstruct the man by an examination of it.
I think, said I, following so far as I could the methods of my companion, that Dr Mortimer is a
successful elderly medical man, well-esteemed, since those who know him give him this mark
of their appreciation.
Good, said Holmes. Excellent!” (The Hound of Baskervilles, Page 7)
Since the time of ancient philosophy, deductive reasoning has been the central domain of
formal logic. Most detectives, however, use a different kind of reasoning, when they try to
solve a crime: inductive reasoning. When you reason inductively, you observe the specifics
and move to the general. One detective that uses this kind of reasoning is Lt. Colombo. What
separates Columbo from these classic greats is his everyman nature, his unassuming
personality, his crooked smile and his constant state of confusion when working on a case. He
might look like a bumbling fool to most of the killers he interviews. They quite believe that
they have put one over on Columbo by getting away with a perfect murder. However, after he
leaves, he happens to return a few minutes latter to ask “Just one more question”, and then
they are finished. They have been outsmarted, outwitted, and outplayed by this detective who
managed to find the one thing that will convict them for a life.
(http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8573, 21. 06. 2012)
Columbo starts with casual open question, just to put the other person at ease and get them
freely talking. His shabby dress and ambling gait and signals that he is harmless.
(http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/columbo_technique.htm, 21.06.2012)
Detectives like Columbo, might gather their clues from specific observation. From those
observations they then determine inductively who the murderer is. Reasoning inductively is
perhaps more difficult than reasoning deductively, because is easy to make a mistake in your
observation. It is also possible that the evidence you have to work with isn’t complete, making
14
it difficult to draw persuasive conclusions. Deductive reasoning is defined as reasoning from
the general to the particular. It is also reasoning that people use every day without realizing it
Deductive will refer to a convergent thinker (one answer), inductive will refer to a divergent
thinker (many answer).
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/ac_paper/logic.shtml, 21.06.2012)
Observation and objectivity are defining elements in classic detective fiction. Holmes above
all is presented as a practitioner of a theory of detection – a theory we would generally label
“scientific rationalism”. Science was an exciting new force in the late 19th century. By
focusing acutely on every detail he forms the hat from something commonplace and
anonymous into something singular and significant. Its used to show how the discerning eye
can inspect what seems to be just an arbitrary detached fragment of an ordinary mans life –
and see it in the whole unique life history of its owner.
Sherlock Holmes stories often start with Holmes being sought out by someone in need of
help. The victim – figures may already be dead or are in need of Holmes protection and
assistance. Holmes travels around, but London is one of the most characteristics locations of
his investigations. The sources of crimes are various – there is often a threat from some kind
of foreign secret society, or there is some crime committed in the colonies that are being
covered up. In later stories Doyle puts Holmes against the master criminal Professor Moriarty.
(http://www.crimeculture.com/359/Holmes.htm, 21.06.2012)
Observation is the key to gathering the facts and the facts are what we build logical inference
and theory upon. To gather the facts, we must first know what we are looking for. There are
only two ways to obtain data. The first is by verbally interviewing people (taking the history).
The second is by carefully scrutinizing objects (the physical examination). The practice of
medicine usually depends heavily on the history. The facts must be gathered in great depth
and breadth. Every detail must be (gathered in) scrutinized and described as accurately as
possible. Holmes method focuses on conducting research, making observations and gathering
data from the situation. His theories always fit the facts he has observed. Holmes observes
than deduces and his methodology is actually the approach that remains true to the scientific
method.
(http://s10.zetaboards.com/The_New_Coffee_Room/topic/7301043/1/, 1. 06. 2012)
In summary, by looking for clues, the problem solver eliminates the factors that are not
involved “the impossible” whatever is left, will be the root causes, however improbable they
15
might seem. Sherlock Holmes used a simple three step method to solve crimes: observation,
deduction and knowledge.
16
6. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND FORENSIC SCIENCE
A hundred and fifty years ago, the police force was just formed and their investigative
techniques were quite primitive. Nobody had realised at that time that fingerprints were
unique, that no two people have the same fingerprints and so they could be used as an
infallible method of identifications. All the police could do pretty much was to ask questions
of as many people as possible and try to work out if the answers they got from one person
were contradicted by someone else, or to see if the person they were talking to acted in a
suspicious way. For a consulting detective such as Sherlock Holmes, who didn’t have the
manpower resources of the police the options were very limited. Holmes was already a trained
chemist who had invented a test that could detect and identify small traces of blood,
something that might prevent an innocent man from being arrested first because he had a
brown stain from juice or mud on his shirt. Holmes also had an encyclopaedic knowledge of
apparently trivial things. He could, for instance, identify 140 different types of cigar based on
the ash in an ashtray, something that might come in useful in the unlikely event that a murder
victim was found with as on his jacket and only one man in England smoked that particular
brand of cigar. What Holmes was very good at was looking at small, almost insignificant bits
of evidence and using them to draw conclusions. Where a policeman might just see a worn
piece of carpet in a hall, Holmes might just see a place where a hidden door had been opened.
Where another private detective (if there was such a thing) might see a half-eaten apple,
thrown in the grass, Holmes might see in the bite marks an impression of the criminals teeth –
an impression that might help identify the criminal.
Sherlock Holmes remains a great inspiration for forensic science, especially for the way his
acute study of a crime scene yields small clues as to the precise sequence of events. Forensic
analysis of evidence is often crucial to determinate of whether one person is guilty or not. He
makes great use of trace evidence such as shoe and tire impressions, as well as fingerprints,
ballistics and handwriting analysis, now known as questioned document examination.
(www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2011/jun/30/sherlock-holmes-young-sherlock,
27.6.2012)
In the story The Hound of the Baskervilles we have an example of trace evidence:
17
“I followed the footsteps down the Yew Alley, I saw the spot at the moor-gate where he
seemed to have waited, I remarked the change in the shape of the prints after that point, I
noted that there were no other footsteps save those of Barrymore on the soft gravel, and
finally I carefully examined the body, which had not been touched until my arrival.” (The
Hound of the Baskervilles, Page 23)
“He said that there were no traces upon the ground round the body. He did not observe any.
But I did-some little distance off, but fresh and clear. Footprints?” (The Hound of the
Baskervilles, Page 23)
Another example of trace evidence is the tobacco ash.
“It was all very confused. Sir Charles had evidently stood there for five or ten minutes.
How do you know that?
Because the ash had twice dropped from his cigar.” (The Hound of the Baskervilles, Page 26)
He often uses a magnifying glass at the scene and an optical microscope back at lodgings in
Baker Street. He uses analytical chemistry for blood residue analysis as well as toxicology
examination and determination for poisons. A number of cases that engaged the attention of
Sherlock Holmes involved poison, medications and medicine that required knowledge and a
resource regarding the use of drugs. Holmes acknowledged attending college for only two
years, although arguments have been advanced that he might have spent as many as three
more at university. Spending hours in the laboratory while in school and afterwards,
conducting various chemical experiments, would explain his singular strength in this field and
paucity in others. Watson noted in A study in Scarlet that Holmes knowledge of chemistry
was “Profound”, and he was also “Well up in bella-donna, opium, and poisons generally”
Holmes would also have the knowledge gained from his own experiments in “the chemistry
laboratory up at the hospital” apparently at St. Bart’s, although Holmes might have spent time
at Kings College Hospital. He would have gained much of his knowledge of anatomy in his
observations in the hospitals dissecting rooms. Watson had been introduced to Holmes by
Stamford in the hospital laboratory.”
(http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/images/Billings_MateriaMedia.pdf, 21.3.2012)
18
There has been a great improvements in the investigate techniques since Sherlock Holmes.
For some of the improvements, we are grateful to Sherlock Holmes’s brilliant ideas and his
mind. In the London today, there are still some crimes happening, but people can walk on
their streets feeling safer day and night.
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7. THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels written by Sir Arthur C.
Doyle. It was published in The Strand Magazine, 1901 - 1902.
In 1901 many books where written in supernatural and detective genre. They were popular by
male genre, so most of the characters in books where male.
7.1 Inspiration for the story
The novel is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon, and tells the story of murder, love, money,
greed and selfishness. He uses real people, places and folklore.
Dartmoor in Devon
He was in 1901 in Norfolk, with his friend Bertram F. Robison; they played golf, who told
him about Devon and its local legends. Many legends around Dartmoor include a black hound
on the moor. Sightings have been reported all over the England, from 1500s up to preset day.
20
Sighting the black hound was supposed to be an omen of death. Most sighting of the hounds
was points that acted out as boundaries such as gates, fences, hedges (the yew alley), bridges,
and roads. (http://www.slideshare.net/kbbandrowski/the-inspiration-for-the-hound-of-the-
baskervilles, 20.6.2012)
Baskerville Hall (Cromer Hall)
7.2 Characters
Character List:
Sherlock Holmes
Dr. Watson
Mr. Jack Stapleton
Sir Henry
Sir Charles
Sir Hugo
Miss Stapleton
Dr. Mortimer
The Barrymores
21
Cartwright
Mr. Frankland and Laura Lyons
Lestrade
The Hound
Sir Hugo Baskerville
Seldon
Sir Hugo Baskerville invented the legend of the gigantic Hound.
Sir Charles Baskerville is the former owner of the Baskerville estate in Devon.
Sir Henry Baskervilles is nephew and his closet relative. He is introduced by his Doctor to
Holmes and Watson, who are protecting him, since he is the last of Baskervilles and his life is
in danger. At the climax of the story Sir Henry is almost killed like his uncle by a gigantic
hound.
Dr. Mortimer is a doctor, and a friend of Baskerville family.
Mr. Jack Stapleton, is a former schoolmaster, he is the one who chases Butterflies on the
moor. He represents the influence of money and power. He is a naturalist, who lives on moor.
He made that the legend of the gigantic hound, came to life.
Seldon is an escaped convict. He is the brother of Mrs. Barrymore. He is killed in the story.
The Barrymores are the butler and maid at Baskerville Hall.
Cartwright is a 14 years old who runs errands for Sherlock Holmes.
Desmond is a distant cousin of Sir Charles who would inherit Baskerville’s estate if
something happens to Sir Henry.
In the story, Sherlock Holmes displays his love of the chase. He is delighted at the
opportunity to outwit the clever villain and foil his schemes. He is given to dramatic flair, he
amazes listeners with his deduction from seemingly slight clues, and he enjoys disguising
himself, as though he were an actor. Stapleton is a good example of Conan Doyle’s archfiends
that prey on the innocent. He is introduced as an eccentric naturalist and a highly respected
man.
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7.3 Plot
Sir Charles Baskervilles is murdered. For generations, the Baskerville family has been
victimized by a giant, spectral hound that prowls the moors. Is it true? Sherlock Holmes is
called upon to help to solve the crime and mystery. A gigantic hound is a made-up story, it’s
not real. Something like that doesn’t exist, there must be a reasonable explanation for that
what had happened to Sir Charles Baskervilles. Sherlock Holmes is a rationalist and a
scientist. He doesn’t believe in the superstition.
The opening scenes place Sherlock Holmes in the comfortable surroundings of his home at
221B Baker Street in London. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson speculate on the identity of
the owner of a cane that has been left in their office by an unknown visitor. James Mortimer
the owner of the cane, enters the office, and tells the story about Hugo Baskerville. Who was
captured and poisoned at his estate in Devonshire. He was the first victim of the mysterious
and supernatural black hound. Since then the Baskerville line has been haunted by that hound.
The recent death of Sir Charles has rekindled suspicions and fears. When Sir Henry arrived,
he got an anonymous note of warning and his shoe has been missing. Holmes and Watson
quickly discovered that Sir Henry is being trailed in London by a mysterious bearded stranger,
and they speculate as to whatever the ghost be friend or foe. Holmes announces, however that
he is needed in London, and so he sends Dr. Watson to be his eyes and ears, insisting that he
report back regularly. He tells Watson on what he should be careful and pay attention when he
arrives in Devonshire, and that he should go armed.
Once he arrives he meets his potential suspects, Mr. Barrymore and Mrs. Barrymore, Sir
Charles domestic help; they have been in family since years, and Mr. Jack Stapleton and his
sister Beryl, Baskerville neighbours.
A series of mysteries arrive in rapid succession: Barrymore is caught skulking around the
mansion at night, Watson spies a lonely figure keeping watch over the moors, the doctor hears
what sounds like a dogs howling. Beryl Stapleton provides a warning and Watson learns of a
secret encounter between Sir Charles and a local woman named Laura Lyons on the night of
his death.
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Mr. Stapleton, as Holmes has discovered, is actually in line to inherit the Baskerville fortune,
and as such is the prime suspect. He saw in the mansion the picture on the wall of Hugo von
Baskerville, and has noted the incredible similarity with Stapleton.
In a dramatic final scene, Holmes and Watson use the young Baskerville as bait to catch
Stapleton. After a late supper at the Stapleton’s, Sir Henry heads home just like Holmes
wanted, across the moors. Despite a dense fog, Holmes and Watson are able to subdue the
beast, and Stapleton, in his panicked flight from the scene, drowns in a marshland on the
moors. Beryl Stapleton, who turns out to be Jacks wife and not his sister, is discovered tied up
in his house, having refused to participate in his dastardly scheme.
Back in London, Holmes ties up the loose ends, announcing that the stolen shoe was used to
give the hound Henrys scent, and that mysterious warning note came from Beryl Stapleton,
whose husband has denied their marriage so as to seduce and use Laura Lyons. Watson files
the case closed.
Watson is a vital part of the novel because he shares feelings, opinions and thoughts with the
reader; this makes the reader believe all that Watson says and does, but they can also
sympathize with him and share all of his feelings. Without Watson narrating the novels, they
would not be the same as he is the readers’ eyes and ears, so without him, the reader could not
be as involved in the story.
The story line is a masterful one and there are many twists and turns as it begins to unravel.
The reader is always on the edge and doesn't know what to expect which creates an exciting
read. The book would not be so popular without such an innovative plot.
7.4 Themes
There are few themes in the novel: natural and supernatural, truth and fantasy, good and evil,
money and power, protection and family lines. In the following lines, I will try to explain each
of the themes.
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1. Natural and supernatural, truth and fantasy
Ironically, dr. Mortimer, the man of science, truly believes in supernatural. In Victorian times
only lower class people would have believed in supernatural because they would had little or
no scientific education. Holmes doesn’t believe because he is a rationalist.
“If I had only been there! He cried. It is evidently a case of extraordinary interest, and one
which presented immense opportunities to the scientific expert. That gravel path upon which I
might have read so much has been long ere this smudged by the rain and defaced by the clogs
of curious peasants. Oh, Dr Mortimer, Dr. Mortimer, to think that you should not have called
me in! You have indeed much to answer for.
I could not call you in, Mr Holmes, without disclosing these facts to the world, and I have
already given my reason for not wishing to do so. Besides, besides –
Why you hesitate?
There is a realm in which the most acute and most experienced of detective is helpless.
You mean that the thing is supernatural?
I did not positively say so.
No, but you evidently think it.
Since the tragedy, Mr Holmes, there have come to my ears several incidents which are hard to
reconcile with the settled order of Nature.
For example?
I find that before the terrible event occurred several people had seen a creature upon the moor
which corresponds with this Baskerville demon, and which could not possibly be any animal
known to science. They all agreed that it was a huge creature, luminous, ghastly and spectral.
I have cross-examined these men, and one of them a hard-headed countryman, one a farrier,
and one a moorland farmer, who all tell the same story of this dreadful apparition, exactly
corresponding to the hell-hound of the legend. I assure you that there is a reign of terror in the
district, and that it is a hardly man who will, cross the moor at night.
And you trained man of science, believe it to be supernatural?
I do not know what to believe. (The Hound of the Baskervilles, Page 26)”
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2. Good and evil
Love is prevented by evil in the novel. Seldon uses his sister love to escape the law. Stapleton
uses love his wife to murder Sir Henry. Grimpen Mire is symbol for evil.
Science can be used for good and evil purposes. Holmes uses his knowledge of science for the
good of the people and never uses it to injure or cause hurt. In contrast to this, Stapleton uses
his knowledge of science to create evil, in this case to ensure that he inherits the Baskerville
fortune. Only a scientist, like Holmes or Stapleton, could work his way through the Grimpen
Mire. This is why Stapleton can hide the hound in the mire, without being fearful that
someone may find it. The Grimpen Mire is a metaphor of a scientific experiment. The hound
was like normal dog, but because of starvation he would make terrible noises. Its real
scientific experiment, whatever he could survive or not and if he would be able to trace the
person and attack him if we gave to him a piece of belongings of that person. In this case here
was a boot that belonged to Sir Henry.
3. Money and Power
This is closely related to the previous theme, but with some additional features. Stapleton’s
corrupt behaviour comes about in the pursuit of money and power. Though in the right hands,
such as Sir Charles’s or Sir Henry’s, they can be used for the benefit of everyone involved,
with a man like Stapleton seeking control, there is great danger.
4. Protection
What drives the pace of the novel is the balance between life and death that hangs about the
characters until the criminal is discovered and dealt with. Holmes and Watson are important
in this role of protecting the life of Sir Henry until Stapleton has been driven to his death,
though they come close to failing several times. Among the most notable instances are when
they see the body of Selden and mistake it for Sir Henry, and at the end when Holmes
expresses some regret over having to put Sir Henry through such trauma in order to expose
Stapleton.
Protection can take the form of information or weaponry. With more knowledge about the
important players in the case and an idea of how things unfolded, Holmes is able to quickly
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identify his suspect and those who can help him. Anticipation of Stapleton’s next move
required information and was a key part in keeping Sir Henry as safe as possible. Watson’s
revolver is also seen as protection, so Holmes makes sure he has it when he leaves London,
and checks that they are all armed when the hound is about to appear.
5. Family Lines
Some of the relatives in the novel are quite different from each other, such as Mrs. Barrymore
and Selden, and Sir Henry and Stapleton. Hugo Baskerville supposedly began the curse of the
Baskervilles and in a way he actually did. His looks are a reflection that his personality as
well has been passed on to a particular member, such as the original fleeing Rodger
Baskerville. His son (Stapleton) became the Baskerville hound, hunting down and killing the
other heirs.
7.5 Symbols
Like every story, so have The Hound of the Baskervilles symbols too. I think the first and the
most important symbol in the story is the hound itself. This is a creature of dread throughout
the story and in many ways it represents the heart of the mystery story, the unknown, and that,
in the mystery story, the unknown is often dangerous and rarely the danger that it appears to
be. In addition to this the hound is more literally symbol in the story made to look far more
supernatural than it is in order to scare its victims.
The second of the symbols in the story is the moors. These are swamps which even at this
time were largely unexplored because of just how dangerous they are. In addition to this there
are homes and places that are still largely unexplored, but these are not simply ugly places.
There are species of butterfly and flowers that are rare and possibly even unknown in those
swamps if you know your way, though if you do not follow the path carefully you could
easily end up on one of the islands without any way to get back. This could by a symbol for
many things, including the mystery again, but this was at least in some ways a comment on
science and the changing society. There are beautiful things to be found but you must be
careful or you could become lost.
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Finally the location of this small society, with so few people is a symbol for England itself in
some ways. Though smaller the social aspects of the society are all here. There is a class
structure, family, government, religion and more and things like the near identical look of
father and son and the history of the family all show ways of looking at society as a whole.
7.6 Setting
The setting is very significant to the story. The Hound of the Baskervilles is set in two
different places. The opening scene begins at 221B Baker Street, in London. Then we move to
Dartmoor, Devonshire. At the end we are back in London, at the famous Baker Street.
Dartmoor is the home of the Baskervilles family. It’s described as dark, gothic place full of
mystery. We find out that only few people live there. So is lonely and dangerous place to live.
It is like gothic detective story, all the action when looking for the hound and chasing the
killer happens during the night.
Stapleton says: “This is great Grimpen Mire. It’s a wonderful place the moor, said he looking
round over the undulating downs, long green rollers with crests of jagged granite foaming up
into fantastic surges. You never tire of the moor. You cannot think the wonderful secrets
which it contains. It is a vast, and so barren and so mysterious. This is the great Grimpen
Mire, said he. A false step yonder means death to man or beast. It’s a bad place, the great
Grimpen Mire.” (The Hound of the Baskervilles, Page 72)
Watson says, "The longer one stays here the more does the spirit of the moor sink into ones
soul. It's vastness, and also it's grim charm."
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8. A GAME OF SHADOWS
The movie was directed by Guy Ritchie. Genre is action, adventure, mystery.
A game of shadows, the whole movie, is a chess motif, which plays out in black-white
chessboard dance floor, as well as actual game between Holmes and Moriarty. Holmes and
Moriarty are not playing chess only on the balcony, but throughout the entire movie. One
difference between Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson in the movie and the book is that
they bout have an excess to mean and devices that only exist in the modern age. Reading the
book, and watching the movie, I have noticed that in the book Sherlock Holmes is very
unsociable character, he has neither wife nor girlfriend. Just as the movie starts we see
Holmes in different light sociable and he has a relationship with a woman, Irene Adler, and
seemed to be in love with her. Also in the movie there is lots of action, Sherlock Holmes is
very active. In The Hound of the Baskervilles we read more about his wits then about the
martial art that he uses in movie. He knows every step to put the opponent on the ground.
Another thing is that Sherlock Holmes is Victorian gentlemen, in this movie he spends time
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dressing up in some silly costumes, not like I was imaging that Sherlock Holmes would be
like.
One example of deduction in the movie is when Sherlock Holmes and Watson travel to Paris
to find Simza. They tell Simza that they know where her brother is, there was drop of read
wine on the letter. He deduces how the droop of read wine ended on the letter. Sherlock
Holmes knows that, her brother Rene is working for Moriarty. They learn about anarchist
group in which she and her brother belonged and that they want to put bomb for Moriarty.
Sherlock Holmes deduces that the bomb is in Paris opera. But he was wrong, the bomb was
near the hotel, and he realizes it too late.
After the scene in factory Holmes was injured, and nearly dead, but thanks to the injection
that he invented himself to put back to life, someone who is practically dead, given by
Watson. He, Watson and Simza escaped on the train. Holmes deduces that Moriarty final
target will be a peace of summit in Switzerland, creating an international incident.
8.1 Plot
The film opens in 1891, in Victorian England. Sherlock Holmes is investigating a seemingly
unrelated series of crime around Europe, believing them all connected to Professor Moriarty.
Who is just as smart as Holmes is. After Moriarty arranges for another assassination, he
poisons Irene Adler, as her feelings for Holmes have compromised her usefulness. Holmes
meets with Moriarty, who warns Holmes that if he persists in investigating him, Watson will
become a target.
Dr. Watson is about to marry, one big reason to end their partnership. Holmes knew about
Moriarty intention and he must save Watson and so he get Watson involved in one last case.
Holmes stows away on the train taking Watson and his new wife Mary to their honeymoon
destination, knocking Mary off the train to the safe hands of Mycroft while he and Watson
battle Moriarty’s men.
They join the Roma lady Madam Simza Herons quest to find her missing brother, Renee, who
may be the key to defeating Moriarty. In Paris, Watson, Holmes and Sims go to the opera
where they believe Moriarty will strike, but Holmes realizes too late that Moriarty has
deceived him; a hotel is blown up instead.
As Holmes looks over the bodies, he realizes the bomb was a cover for a gunman of
Moriarty’s, Colonel Sebastian Moran, to shoot a specific guest at the party.
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Tracking the man s ownership of an arms factory in Germany which has recently had a large
number of shares bought by Moriarty, Holmes and Watson investigate, but Holmes is
captured.
Moriarty reveals he owns shares in companies across Europe in cotton, guns and other goods,
and plans to start a war that will create a large demand for them and make him a fortune.
Watson rescues Holmes and the two escapes the factory on a passing train. Holmes deduces
Moriarty s next target is a peace summit, where he will create an incident between world
leaders to spark war.
At the summit with Mycroft, Holmes deduces that a set of twins working for Moriarty are not
actually twins, and was an experiment to give a man the face of another. Realizing that Rene
has been made to look like one of the party guests and will act on Moriarty s behalf, Watson
and Simza find out which guest he is while Holmes invites Moriarty to a game of chess on a
balcony over a waterfall.
Watson and Simza successfully stop Rene, but he is killed by Moran. Meanwhile, Holmes
reveals to Moriarty that in Germany he stole an account Book tracing all of Moriarty assets,
the only piece of evidence linking him to his deeds, and Mary has taken it back to London
with a cipher discovered by Holmes, where Inspector Lestrade is confiscating them.
Holmes and Moriarty mentally plan a battle and both realize Holmes will lose, with no other
option; Holmes blows soot from his pipe in Moriarty s eyes, distracting him so Holmes can
grab him and knock both of them off the balcony and into the waterfall seemingly to his
death.
Sometime later, Watson and Mary prepare to go on another honeymoon while Watson
finishes writing of his last case with Holmes. A delivery of Mycroft s oxygen breathing
device alerts Watson that Homes survived, and he runs to question Mary about the delivery
while Holmes reveals himself concealed in Watson s room, rushes to the typewriter and adds
a “?” after the words ‘The End’.
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8.2 Characters
Character list:
Sherlock Holmes
Dr. John Watson
Mary Morstan
Mycroft Holmes
James Moriarty
Simza Heron
Colonel Sebastian Moran
Mrs. Hudson
Irene Adler
Inspector Lestrade
Sherlock Holmes is a private detective.
Dr. John Watson is Sherlock Holmes friend.
Mary Morstan is wife from John Watson. They got married in the movie.
Mycroft Holmes is the elder brother from Sherlock Holmes.
Professor James Moriarty is respected professor of mathematics, at Cambridge University. He
is enemy from Sherlock Holmes and dr. Watson.
Madame Simza Heron is in the movie she is a gypsy woman, a poor fortune – teller. She
helped Sherlock Holmes and Watson.
Colonel Sebastian Moran he is working for Moriarty.
Mrs Hudson is Housekeeper from Sherlock Holmes.
Irene Adler is in love with Sherlock Holmes, but was shortly after the movie has started killed
by Moriarty. Sherlock Holmes is in love with her too, and he seemed to be in pain when he
had lost her.
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8.3 Symbols
There are few symbols in the movie; the chess board, the medicine, the eyes, the fisher, the
trout story and the imagery with Moriarty. Sherlock Holmes was drinking medicine meant for
eye surgery, symbolically, the eyes symbolize wisdom.
Among all the symbols, the Chess symbol is the one that dominates the movie. The obvious
example is when Moriarty and Holmes meet face-to-face for the first time and Moriarty asks
Holmes, "Are you sure this is a game you want to play?" and Holmes responds, "I am afraid
you would lose." Another example is, when Holmes has to save a diplomat from a bomb and
having found some clues, Holmes believes he knows where the bomb will explode; going
there, he finds a chess piece Moriarty has left for him in that exact spot so Holmes would
know he had been mistaken and Holmes would know that Moriarty knew. With this black
king chess piece, Moriarty tells Holmes that he has captured Holmes' king and the game is
over, that "king" is being the German gun manufacturer that Moran, at that very moment, is
assassinating as the bomb goes off in another part of Paris. That was a "piece" Moriarty
needed to capture, the gun factory, in order to proceed with his plan and get the atmosphere
right for war, but Holmes, in saving the ambassador Rene was determined to assassinate,
"recaptures" that king and replaces the king Moriarty had taken with the king Holmes
checkmates.
At the end of the movie Holmes and Moriarty are actually playing the chess at the balcony.
While playing the chess, Holmes is playing the black player and the Moriarty the white one.
The white player has always the first move. While Holmes has to guess Moriarty's next move,
Watson inside the ball room has to guess Rene's next move. Rene is, for Moriarty, like a
bishop. Once Watson successfully "captures" Rene; Rene is promoted to serving Holmes as
evidence against Moriarty's crimes and intentions. This is almost like a "double plastic
surgery," because plastic surgery changes our appearance, Holmes has done a plastic surgery
on Rene, changing his identity from Moriarty's "bishop" to Holmes' queen. When Moran,
Moriarty's other bishop, takes out Rene, after Rene's failure to complete the assassination,
Holmes has lost "an important piece". Larsen's game mirrors against Petrosian when Holmes
says, "A winning strategy sometimes necessitates a sacrifice," because, in this game, Larsen
famously sacrificed his queen and, while Rene had been promoted for Holmes to capital
evidence, he's lost Rene but has prevented war. This brings us to the endgame. While Holmes
captures Moriarty's king by achieving checkmate, Moriarty comes back and tells Holmes that
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Holmes isn't playing against him. Holmes is "fighting the human condition" driving Europe
towards war, regardless of what Moriarty does or doesn't do, and in many respects, this is
Moriarty's endgame against Holmes, telling Holmes that he can't possibly beat the natural
laws of physics and motion bringing the civilized Western world towards self-destruction.
Moriarty putting the fur cloak on Holmes was a bet that Holmes would want to preserve
himself, but Holmes is willing to sacrifice himself, that is why, after they have gone over the
edge, Holmes has an expression of meditation and calmness whereas Moriarty screams.
While this was the most unexpected move Holmes could have made, it is a sad realization of
the limitations of justice. Moriarty has covered his tracks and there is no evidence against
him.
Holmes believes a "winning strategy necessitates sacrifice" and to win back the fate of
Europe for Europe, free from manipulation, Holmes breaks the stalemate to "win" the game.
(http://thefineartdiner.blogspot.com/2012/01/chess-game-of-prof-moriarty-sherlock.html,
5.11.2012)
The whole movie is based on chess, while it's a creative but exact way to demonstrate that no
piece is unimportant, even though motions might be limited, when played well. Simza's
character in the film is politically speaking, a pawn. She is the exact opposite of someone like
Moriarty (a king), who has all the power and fortune and affluence in the world. Her power of
love for her brother and doing what she can to aid Holmes and Watson undermines and brings
down the plans of Moriarty. The movie is brilliant because of this chess games, is witty and
clever. In the same time it shows the cleverness both of them Sherlock Holmes and Professor
Moriarty. In Arthur C. Doyle books, Sherlock Holmes’s, deductive way of thinking comes to
an expression, in this movie the chess games comes to expression. This fact doesn’t make
Sherlock Holmes less clever, in fact the game of chess, is game of brain. It is needed some
sort of cleverness to win it, especially when we have such a great opponent like Professor
Moriarty.
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9. CONCLUSION
I think that it is amazing that Sherlock Holmes has remained popular after 125 years. Often
people forget that Sherlock Holmes was a fictional character and that he wasn’t a real person.
Why is so? When you go to London, you can visit Sherlock Holmes museum, at the famous
fictional address 221b Baker Street. The museum is between numbers 237 – 241, but the City
of Westminster gave permission that the house could have number 221b. The museum has
four stories. On the ground floor is a gift shop; on the second floor is the living room and
bedroom of Holmes. The third floor has rooms for Watson and Mrs Hudson. On the fourth
floor there are various wax figures of characters in the stories. There is also a small loft which
houses a bathroom. In the living room you can find many items connected with the characters
of the novels: Holmes’s felt hat and a pot of Dr. Watson, pipe, violin, magnifying glass,
notebook, chemicals and equipment, Persian slippers (in which Holmes sometimes stored
tobacco), etc. Also in the museum there is the head of the Hound of the Baskervilles, the
legendary black dog.
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Sherlock Holmes was introduced to the world in A Study in Scarlet, 1887. In the Final
Problem 1893 Holmes and his nemesis Professor Moriarty are killed off, but the public outcry
was so great, that Conan Doyle was forced to bring him back.
Sherlock Holmes was very popular because of his famous deductive way of reasoning, his
keen eye and observation. He notices things that nobody ever notices or that other would
think that is not really important because they are just small things. But those small things are
keys in solving the mystery of crime. He was very clever, and he knew just what he has to
look for. Deductive reasoning is something that we use every day without knowing it. A
hundred years ago police didn’t know much about investigating murder. There are many
things that the police have learned till today, it’s so much easier to catch killer today than
back then. Much of its contribution came from Sherlock Holmes. He remains today an
inspiration for forensic. There are lots of things that Sherlock Holmes makes unique; he is
very intelligent, like no one else, and interesting. How intelligent he is we see in the first
chapter, when he ask Watson to deduce to whom the walking stick belongs. When reading his
stories, we feel like we have some part in investigating the case. The techniques which
Holmes uses in stories are similar to ones that police and detectives are using today. Another
thing why Sherlock Holmes is so popular today would be the time in which Sherlock Holmes
was created, and that was the Victorian era. Victorian England was a fascinating place to live;
many people are interested in how things were done back then.
Sherlock Holmes was created in the 19th century, in the time when Queen Victoria was on the
throne. In her time crime was rife, one of the reason for his popularity back then. It was
impossible to kill him off, even today. Recently there have been filmed two movies about
Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes 2009 and A Game of Shadows. I have watched them both,
and both are great. The special effects that are used in A Game of Shadow are amazing. This is
something new and common only in the modern age. Plot and settings, clues and the way
Sherlock Holmes solves crimes are like in Conan Doyle stories. The game which is mentioned
in the title of the movie is a game of chess. A game of chess is a game of the brain, and the
brain is his best tool that he uses. Moriarty in the movie represents the black king, Simza the
pawn, Rene is like the bishop. At end of the movie Sherlock Homes and Professor Moriarty
are killed, but the movie ends with a question mark; this means that we can expect a new
movie about Sherlock Holmes, which I’m looking forward to see. For sure there would be lots
of fuss even today if Sherlock Holmes were killed, so the producers choose to put a question
mark to the end.
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Sherlock Holmes is an example for all other detectives and lots of detectives are made on his
kind, or at least try to be. No one ever could invent a new or better detective then him. He was
brilliant and witty and his popularity will stay and will be transformed in new generations.
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10. WORKS CITED
Anderson, T. (2009). The Inspiration for The Hound of the Baskervilles. www.slideshare.net/kbbandrowski/the-inspiration-for-the-hound-of-the-baskervilles, 20.6.2012
“A Victorian to the Bone”: Sherlock Holmes and the Cultural Norms of Victorian England. (12.1.2012). http://outoftheashes.xanga.com/757421060/sherlock-holmes-and-victorian-culture, 16.6. 2012
Billings, H. The Materia Medica of Sherlock Holmes.Discovering Sherlock Holmes.http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/history3.html, 16.6.2012
Doyle, A. C. (1996). The Hound of the Baskervilles. Penguin Books Ltd, LondonGocsik, K. Logic and Argument. (17.1.2008).
Horsley, L. Sherlock Holmes – Modernist thought, modernist cities & the solving intellect. www.crimeculture.com/359/Holmes.htm, 21.06.2012
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/ac_paper/logic.shtml, 21.06.2012
http://reversethinking.typepad.com/weblog/2008/02/why-is-sherlock.html, 19.6.2012
Lane, A. How Sherlock Holmes solved crimes. (2011). www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2011/jun/30/sherlock-holmes-young-sherlock, 27.6.2012
Link, W. The Columbo Collection. (2010). www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8573, 21. 06. 2012)
Mitchell, SW. (2009). Daily life in Victorian England. Greenwood Press, WestportRitchie, G. (2011) The Game of Shadows. [studio]Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. http://www.prairieghosts.com/doyle.html, 17.6.2012
Standford University. (2006). Sherlock Holmes method. (2010). http://s10.zetaboards.com/The_New_Coffee_Room/topic/7301043/1/, 1. 06. 2012
The Columbo Technique. http://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/columbo_technique.htm, 21.06.2012http://www.bakerstreetjournal.com/images/Billings_MateriaMedia.pdf, 21.3.2012
The Chess Game of Professor Moriaty & Sherlock Holmes as well as Notations on Plastic Surgery. (2012).http://thefineartdiner.blogspot.com/2012/01/chess-game-of-prof-moriarty-sherlock.html, 5.11.2012
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